Turnaround in the fight against chemical giant: referendum overturned

Created: 08/31/2022Updated: 08/30/2022 15:58

By: Andrea Kästle

Entrance to the United Initiators premises.

© Andrea Kästle

And again there is a turning point in the meanwhile never-ending story about the expansion of the chemical plant United Initiators in Höllriegelskreuth.

In a special session, the holiday committee in Pullach has now overturned the desired and already decided referendum of the citizens' initiative. 

Pullach

– It was only in July that the municipal council approved a citizens' initiative regarding the conversion and expansion plans of the Pullach chemical company United Initiators.

Although the justification for this second citizens' initiative, which the citizens' initiative "Save the Isar floodplain" had launched, had errors in content.

On Monday, the board's vacation committee withdrew the decision in a meeting scheduled at short notice.

So there will be no vote on October 23 as to whether the municipality can stick to its land use plan for the area or whether it has to give up.

Suspected increase in building rights

It is a new turn in the endless struggle for "Big Wings", as United calls the project internally, which primarily provides for a restructuring of the logistics on the huge site.

The opponents fear that the new development plans, which the municipality wants to draw up in order to be able to help shape the project, mean an increase in building rights for the chemical company.

Which the community tirelessly tries to refute.

"We are in an advanced, muddled situation," said Second Mayor Andreas Most (Pullach Plus), who chaired the meeting, summing up the situation.

In the end the decision was six to three.

Christine and Uwe Eisenmann (both CSU) and Angelika Metz from the WiP voted in the spirit of the citizens' initiative, which was also present with two representatives and whose spokesman Christian Boeck also had a say.

Eisenmann warned colleagues that one should not retreat to an offended position: "In the interests of the citizens, we must put aside all vanity." She later said: "We cannot overturn our old decision." Metz also said: " You have to approach each other."

District office certifies errors in content

However, the attitude of the majority in the committee was that this is no longer possible at the present time.

On the one hand, the municipal council has now also been informed by the legal supervisory authority in the district office that the citizens' petition should never have been approved because of the errors in content.

United has now also intervened at the district office and asked the authority to "immediately intervene against this illegal decision".

And then, as was repeatedly pointed out, the citizens' initiative did not use the opportunity to correct the errors in the reasoning by means of an additional statement.

The statement merely repeats the existing inaccuracies, it said.

"No more understanding for the citizens' initiative"

In addition: By the citizens' initiative in front of the administrative court has obtained an injunction against the council's request, which the community wanted to oppose the citizens' request, exactly that would have been prevented - the simultaneity of both decisions.

Renate Grasse, Greens: "The simultaneity of citizens' requests and council requests was the reason for us to support the citizens' request." Cornelia Zechmeister, WiP: "I no longer understand the citizens' initiative." Holger Ptacek from the SPD argued more fundamentally: " We have absolutely no political discretion here.

We are bound by law and order, the citizens' initiative is inadmissible." Peter Bekk, Greens, also said: "We have no choice but to reject the citizens' initiative."

Meanwhile, Boeck, spokesman for the citizens' initiative, emphasized that the council's request was "misleading" the citizens, that the new plans would certainly result in an increase in building rights for United on the site.

The urban development contract may not be binding because of the unclear ownership structure on the site.

Boeck also said that the municipality could “cancel” the company’s long unused building rights at any time.

Most disagreed on all points.

Stick to the council decision

How to proceed now?

In any case, the community wants to stick to the fact that the citizens can vote on the land use planning in Höllriegelskreuth, in other words: the council request should go through the stage under all circumstances.

When that will be the case now depends on the administrative court.

The citizens' initiative has already announced that it will also file a lawsuit against the Council's request.

The holiday committee has postponed all further discussions on the council request to the next municipal council meeting.

However, the justification for the Council request was approved.